New Channel Island company offers freight service

A new company plans to launch a freight service between the Channel Islands, taking over from Huelin Renouf.

In August, shipping firm Huelin Renouf stopped trading with the loss of 50 jobs across Jersey, Guernsey and Southampton.

Jersey government-owned Port of Jersey took over part of the service but officials said it was only temporary.

Channel Island Lines has announced it plans to launch a load-on, load-off freight service this month.

Paul Sands from the new company said there was still a lot of work to do but hoped to be up and running soon.

He said: "There is a significant amount of legal and regulatory work still to complete but I am confident that a new service will commence before the end of September."

The company said it hopes to be able to purchase the assets of Huelin Renouf from Associated British Ports in Southampton which bought them from the liquidator in August.

It will charter the MV Huelin Dispatch, a ship built especially for the Islands' service. It will run three return journeys a week between the Islands and the UK.

Mr Sands said the business would create up to 60 jobs across the three locations and hoped to recruit people made redundant by Huelin Renouf.

The new company is funded by Rockayne Limited, a Jersey investment company owned by four long standing Jersey residents.